Our Diary From Israel

(Note from the translator: If you leave me comments on this blog, I really appreciate it! Thank you! However, I am not able to respond to them because of how Blogger is set up. So if I don't answer you, I am not ignoring you, I just have no way of answering comments :))

Our Diary from Israel

For one week, the six were hitmakers in the “Holy Land.” They report about their triumph exclusively in ROCKY DAS FREIZEIT MAGAZIN.

Thursday: After a 3000 km flight, our Lufthansa-Jet lands in 25 degrees-in-the-shade Tel Aviv. We shine in the sun in the Sheraton-Hotel sipping fresh orange juice. Between unpacking and showers we miss the sunset. At 10:30 pm is our live show on the Israeli television program. Taxi driver Josef drives us into Jerusalem to the studio. He begins to wonder, because he does not recognize us immediately without our costumes. “We are the Hu-Ha’s!” Louis explains to him. His good wishes accompany us. In the studio we sing “Moskau” and come in second in the rankings [trans: this was unclear, but I think this is what it means] If this keeps up...

Friday: Henriette wakes with a fever, and has to go to the doctor. Sch...nice! [trans: unclear]. Steve and Leslie look for an interview in the famous pirate station “Voice of Piece [sic?]” and quit moaning about the high seas for fun. We learn that our singles are here, since the Eurovision is in the charts again. Next destination: Eilat - the Israeli “Riviera.” After a five hour bus ride through the Negev Desert in the dark, we reach the Red Sea. Steve looks for a razor when his “middle part” threatens to grow [trans: no idea...] Until the show it’s all blank again. Great Success! The slip of the day comes to Leslie: “Wow how we all cheered in Israel!” Our escape from the bus he’s even right. 2 am: now again a five hour bus drive.

Saturday: Arrival in Tel Aviv at sunrise. Wolfgang, Steven and Louis hit the beach, the rest in their beds. In the afternoon we met our choreographer Hannes Winkler together again. Who watches us in the “Yad-Elyaho” (Sports Palace) rehearsals guesses why we call him “Schinderhannes.” Henriette smiles bravely, but can’t get out a word. It makes us worried. In the evening we rejoice to 5000 people when we sing “Israel.”

Sunday: Reunion with Jerusalem. Stroll through the old town. Drum freak Leslie discovered ‘treasures’ in the bazaar, Edina a fur coat for the German winter. The “Wailing Wall” from a distance (we have nothing to complain about.) Souvenir photo at the Dome of the Rock. Adventurous eating in a hurry. Schinderhannes drives us further into the congress hall and the stage. Steve bitches, Wolfgang turns a deaf ear. But it runs the show. Memories of the Grand Prix in March. Then we came in 4th place [sic]. Today in Israel we are number one!

Monday: Sleep in! At noon we will enjoy Israeli champagne on the beach. Water temperature 25 degrees. Leslie laments that he is still too pale. Steve is already very dark [trans: paraphrased; original translation inappropriate.] Wolfgang has slept the night on his belly. Sunburn! In the evening we are guests on the Israeli “Top of the Pops.” The television show features a disco for a later date.

Tuesday: Big excitement: Wolfgang has lost his airplane ticket. Everyone looks in vain. at 12, the thing is in the hotel. Clear! The bus takes us along the coast to Haifa. Along the way we harvest oranges, bananas and grapes like in the land of plenty. Hannes warns of “resounding” success. Steve threatens to not appear: the sun has burned his beautiful bald head. Edina helps him with dark make up. The appearance in Haifa has been saved!

Wednesday: Since last night, a hot desert wind has been blowing. We prefer Munich weather! The excitement, we get the Israeli “Oscar” for best foreign group ’79. In the Mann Auditorium we are also decorated with the peace prize and a gold single for “Dschinghis Khan.” Afterward, the party continues in our honour at the Sheraton. Everyone wants to celebrate with us. By 4 am, our eyes fall. A week full of experiences, adventures, and encounters! We have the best feeling to have found a lot of friends in Israel.

Captions: (Clockwise from right-hand corner)

Shiny as the mosque (L.) is also Dschinghis Khan. The country by which the “Grand Prix” struck her birth, she was honoured with gold, an Oscar, and the Peace prize.

By bus a journey of discovery: when there’s a refreshment stop in the canister.

“Cheers!” call Wolfganf, Louis, Edina, Leslie, Henriette and Steve and they drink to their success.

Dschinghis Khan proudly presents upon return the awards at the Munich airport in Israel: a gold single and an Oscar.

Rehearsal before the Israeli “Top of the Pops” (L)

Hannes Winkler, jokingly named “Schinderhannes” startles his parishioners.

Leslie has bought drums. Dschinghis Khan gives a special performance on the road.

Genghis Khan and His Brown Love

Not much to say about today's article other than, Wow.

***

The solo dancer of the famous popgroup was directed by his fiancee to a shared flat in Munich.

"The Wintergarden is our favourite place. We often eat breakfast here and watch the hustle and bustle of the Viktualienmarkt [farmer's market]."

Louis Potgieter and Madeleine Davis proudly lead each guest through the beautiful four-room apartment they have set up in the heart of Munich.

"A few little things that really make it comfortable are still missing," apologizes the dark-skinned New Yorker. "But we have simply not enough time, to go searching."

The couple is overly busy and frequently 'on the move.' "But always separated, because we are professional competitors," explains the 30-year-old Louis. He is the solo-dancer of the Disco formation Dschinghis Khan, the most successful singing troupe in Europe. Madeleine is the lead singer of the new girl-group "La Mama" who the Boney-M maker Frank Farian wants to make popular in the next months.

Louis, the native-born South African, already met his fiancee two and a half years previously. Then they both lost contact for months. "It wasn't love at first sight for us," he admits. "It only sparked when I saw Madeleine in a Munich disco. There she was performing with her band."

At the time, he was less impressed by the singing of the 29-year olds than by their smooth movements. The ex-solo dancer from the Munich Gartnerplatz Theatre immediately recognized: "Madeleine has the dance in her blood." This talent and the enthusiasm for music brought Dschinghis Khan and his brown love together. Now they are planning a common future, each reserving some private space. That, they think is the best recipe for long lasting happiness.

"And if we argue, we make peace again at the common breakfast."

Autograph Card #1

I got this autogrammkarte (autograph card) on eBay for about 1 euro. It's worth it to note that this isn't a real autograph card; the auto's are just printed on. Still, it's a neat relic. Leslie's signature in particular intrigues me -- what exactly did he write? To me, it looks like "Leslie Lisuden," but since "Lisuden" is not a word in English, German or Hungarian, I have to say that I just don't know.

***

Dschinghis Khan

Given Name: Louis Hendrik Potgieter
Birthday: 4 April 1952[sic]
Birthplace: Johannesburg/South Africa
Eyes/Hair: Brown/Brown
Height: 1.90 metres
Trained profession: Solo dancer/ classical ballet

Given Name: Leslie Mandoki
Birthday: 7 January 1953
Birthplace: Budapest/Hungary
Eyes/Hair: Blue-green/brown
Height: 1.78 metres
Trained Profession: Music teacher [sic]
Married: to Romy Hempel since 1977

Name: Edina Pop
Given Name: Marika Kesmarki
Birthday: 4 February 1947
Birthplace: Budapest/Hungary
Eyes/Hair: Brown/light brown
Height: 1.70 metres
Trained Profession: Singing student/secretary
Married: to the actor Gunther Stoll since 1971 (till his death in 1977)

Given Name: Henriette Heichel
Maiden Name: Henriette Strobel
Birthday: 13 November 1953
Birthplace: Amsterdam/Holland
Eyes/Hair: Blue-green/dark blonde
Height: 1.71 metres
Trained Profession: Dental assistant/cosmetologist, was earlier a hobby-figure0skater.
Married: to Wolfgang Heichel since 1976

Name: Steve Bender
Given Name: Karl-Heinz Bender
Birthday: 2 November 1946
Birthplace: Mainz
Eyes/Hair: Blue/Bald
Height: 1.71 metres
Trained Profession: Painter
Married: to Elfriede Biegler since 1969
Child: Melanie (born 1975)

Given Name: Wolfgang Heichel
Birthday: 4 November 1951
Birthplace: Meissen/DDR (East Germany)
Eyes/Hair: Brown/brown
Height: 1.88 metres
Trained profession: Dental student (given up)
Married: to Henriette Strobel since 1976.

Dschingis Khan: Earlier

I paid entirely too much for this article, but it is worth it just for the shot of young Leslie. Am I the only one who thinks he must have come out of the womb with a moustache and long hair? (Okay, now that's a horrifying mental image. Seriously.)
This article is mainly worth it for the pictures, however, because some of the information I've never heard of before, particularly Leslie's, and I wonder how accurate it is.

Clockwise, from top:

Dschingis Khan:

Where are the six "Wilds" from? What did they do earlier? BRAVO shows you a different way...

Wolfgang Heichel (top, as a Confirmant at 14) has been married to Henriette for three years. Studied art and went to a hotel-managing school. Was bos and singer of "New Blue Heaven." Studied four semesters of dentistry. He is the spokesperson of the band. There is no boss.


Steve Bender has the most musical career behind him of the Dschinghis Khan members. When he had hair (small photo), he had 17 singles and 4 LPs. Steve has been married for 10 years and has a four year old daughter. For a professional, he was a painter. He has sung with Donna Summer.


Edina Pop has over the years brought 15 singles and an LP to the market. Comes from Hungary and has been widowed for four years. She was married to the actor Gunther Stoll.


Henriette Heichel wanted to be an ice skater. She even took part in the Bavarian Championships. At 16, she suffered a double fracture and had to give up the sport. She is a trained make-up artist.


Leslie Mandoki is a professional drummer. He was born in Budapest and has been married for two years. He has studied Psychology for three semesters. The amateur-photographer also visited the Music-Conservatorium. He is the funniest one in Dschinghis Khan.


Louis Hendrik Potgieter is the Genghis Khan of the group. Privately, as the trained Solo-dancer (small photo), he appears not at all so terrifying. Louis was born in South Africa, he is single, and studied graphic arts. He has given up his theatre job.

Bravo: Dschingis Khan Interview

The interview page came to me already damaged, unfortunately, but it's still readable. There's quite a bit of text on the both pages

Left Page (The Interview)

(Photos from top, going clockwise)

Leslie Mandoki plays on the stage the "Rocking Son of Genghis Khan."

Henriette Heichel had never publically sung, before joining the group.

Wolfgang Heichel is the boss of the group, and is married to Henriette

Steve Bender plays in Dschinghis Khan the "Wild" Man.

Edina Pop also had success as a solo singer.

Group picture caption: Dschinghis Khan in Action: Where the group performs, it is jubilant. There are hardly any days off for Wolfgang, Henriette, Louis, Leslie and Steve (left to right)

Interview:

Bravo: You meet every day in a small room in Munich-Bogenhausen. Everything is very mysterious. What's going on behind those closed doors?

Wolfgang Heichel: We're rehearsing for our new big Germany Tour, that we're starting in the new year next year. We want to surprise our fans with a new 90-minute show.

Bravo: Can you explain this more?

Leslie Mandoki: We will not just sing and dance. Each of us will play one or more instruments.

Bravo: Do you get "reinforcements" for this tour, or do you travel alone?

Edina Pop: We get an accompanying orchestra. Whether or not this is possibly a choir, is not yet fixed.

Bravo: How long will this tour last? Will it only be in the big cities?

Steve Bender: How long we will be on the road, we also don't know yet. But it will be at least two months. This means that we will make appearances in small and middle cities too.

Bravo: You were recently in Israel and recieved an award...

Henriette Heichel: We have received the "Golden Oscar" of Israel for best foreign Pop group. This prize has us, of course, very pleased.

Bravo: Next year finds the Summer Olympics in the city of Moscow. Your last hit was called "Moskau." Will you be there?

Louis Henrik[sic] Potgieter: We have already received an official invitation to Moscow. A friend of mine, a dancer who lives in Moscow, wrote to me that we are already very well known in Russia, and many pictures of us already hang on the walls in record stores.

Bravo: You are constantly on the move. Does a make-up artist travel with you, to do your make-up?

Henriette Heichel: No. Edina and I do our own make-up. I also make-up my husband, Wolfgang. Louis Hendrik takes care of not only his own make-up, but that of Leslie and Steve as well. The whole process takes about an hour.

Bravo: How many TV-Appearances have you had in Germany this year?

Steve Bender: If we only take the regional programs, it was 21. We went on almost every major TV-show. Our next TV events are on December 17, on "Disco." We do a skit with Ilja Richter on the New Years Show, and on January 8, 1980 in "Pyramide."

Bravo: And when will you have vacation time?

Wolfgang: Christmas. We're all looking forward to this festival. Everyone will of course celebrate with their family. But after the holidays, we must immediately go back to work.

Right Page

(Clockwise, starting at the top)

Henriette on a hot "Ofen." She cannot drive it, however.

Privately, Leslie loves these clothes: casual overalls and T-shirts

Wolfgang studied also art for a time. These paintings he has completed himself. He has a lot of talent.

So appears "Dschinghis Khan" Louis Hendrik Potgietr un-made-up.

Edina is a funny girl.

The four-year-old Melanie is the pride of Steve Bender. He plays with his little daughter for hours.

Dancer Louis Hendrik Potgieter was a solo-dancer with a Munich Theatre, before he slipped into the costume of Genghis Khan.

BRAVO Series: Louis Potgieter

In honour of World AIDS Day, I bring to you Louis' article from the BRAVO series covering each of the band members.

From this article, we can see that he had an extraordinary ballet career. He must have had some incredible talent, not to mention ambition and sheer determination, to not only have made it as a professional ballet-dancer after never taking a lesson until he was 21, and then to go from the very back row (a VERY bad placement, in a ballet dance) to a solo dancer in only 2 years. Such a thing is pretty much unheard of!

RIP, Louis...if only you'd been able to open that ballet-school...

Louis Hendrik Potgieter: The Genghis Khan from Africa

Well, I must be completely honest: when I jump over the stage as Genghis Khan in our newest hit “Moskau,” I sometimes yearn back to my theatre days on the big stage. All the big roles I've danced, in the last five years, come to mind, with the most famous partners, such as Margot Fonteyn, in my arms. That was my world. “Swan Lake,” or “Shah and Scheherezade.” Now I'm just Genghis Khan, with a few steps to rehearse.

But I can't complain. I willingly became Genghis Khan, and I don't regret it. I earn more money now than as a Solo-dancer. I am particularly strained: we travel constantly throughout the world.

I think our group will last a long time. We have with the founder of Dschinghis Khan, Ralph Siegel, a five year contract. It is important to me now to meet people I can later help. Maybe one day I'll even have my own ballet-school.

I am a South African national. My father's forefathers came from Holland, my mother's from France. My father is in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, a sales director of a construction firm. I have five siblings: a brother (Johan), and four sisters (Analiese, Karin, Erna and Talana). I haven't seen my family in four and a half years.

I speak on the telephone often with my parents. I sang for them “Dschinghis Khan” and “Moskau.” I always send them whatever the newspapers say about us. My parents are very proud of me, although my father was not very enthusiastic at first, when I became a dancer.

Dancing has always fascinated me. In school, I danced at school festivals and even made my own choreography. After I was finished with school, I studied Graphic Arts for two years. I had many ideas in my head: I wanted to be a fashion designer, a musician, or even a dancer.

At 21, I had not taken a single ballet class. I was introduced to the Ballet-Director of the Johannesburg Theatre. He saw that I had talent, and gave me a three-month probationary period. During those three months, I worked like an animal. Six, seven hours daily in the practise room. Afterwards, I could not feel my bones.

But it was worth it. I was hired. Although I was only in the group, and in the last row, I was there. And after two years, I was a solo dancer. My biggest wish was fulfilled.

One of my friends went to Ulm, Germany, as a ballet-chief. He invited me to meet him there. So I left my home and family just under five years ago. I spent a year in Ulm, and a year in the Swiss town of St. Gallen. But I wanted to be on a major stage. I travelled to Frankfurt where three or four times a year, many ballet dancers audition for ballet directors and heads of large houses. There I was hired as a soloist for the Munich Garden Place Theatre.

I had a great time at the Garden Place Theatre, although I had to appear in operettas, which I do not like so much. Incidentally, I was allowed to appear in various TV shows. I owe that to my role as Genghis Khan. The famous choreographer William Millie brought me to Ralph Siegel's attention when he was looking for a dancer.

At first I was curious about what would happen. I thought this might be a job for a few days. I had never seen the other members of Dschinghis Khan before. We were all pretty nervous. If you asked me then, if I ever would have believed in the success of our group, I would have said a thousand times, no. We six have it together. Of course, now and then we have differences of opinion, but they are smoothed over quickly.

As far as I know, we all have the same contract. As a dancer, I earn no more and no less than the others who sing.

I have a small advantage over my colleagues: On the street, no one recognizes me. Unmasked, I have my privacy.

Dschinghis Khan: How They Live...: Louis Potgieter

(BRAVO Magazine, circa 1980-1981)

I apologize for the size of the images; I wanted to stitch them together in photoshop and then isolate Louis' section, but as it turns out, I don't know how to do that.

A couple things are interesting about Louis' part of the article.

First off, this Madlein Davis business. Who was she? Why is there almost no other references to her in any other DK press-articles? (I can think of exactly two others, besides this one, in which she appears or is mentioned.)

Secondly, I guess we finally learn the reason why he cut his hair short. There's no date on the magazine, but clearly it's after Steve left, and around the time of "Wir Sitzen Alle im Selben Boot"

Translation is as follows, to the best of my ability:

Louis Potgieter: For Madlein, He Sacrificed his Mane.

Louis Potgieter, long the long-haired "Mongol-lord" poster-child of the group, is barely recognizable: he wears his hair newly short.

"My girlfriend Madlein wanted it so. Otherwise, she wouldn't move into my apartment. I've just come from the hairdresser."

Louis was the first in Dschinghis Khan. The producer and mental father of the groupe, Ralph Siegel, searched namely for the Dschinghis-Khan-concept first a dancer. When he was at a ballet-evening at the Gartnerplatz at Munich's State Theatre, he discovered a young Louis Potgieter in the [ballet] troupe, and had found his type.

Louis: "At 190 cm, I was almost too tall, and therefore could not wear on stage any shoes with a high heel."

After two and a half years with the group, his life has completely changed for him:

"Earlier, I was only the poster-child of the group. Today, I sing the songs with them. I also do the choreography for our performances."

Louis lives in an apartment on Viktualienmarkt [farmer's market] in Munich. If you want to visit during the day, you must go through a flower shop in the backyard:

"I love flowers, and I look forward every morning, when I first go through a sea of flowers before I get to the street."

He has lived here together with his dark-skinned girlfriend, Madlein, since March, in this three-room apartment. He has even set up and assembled the furniture from all over Europe. An Italian mirror is an art object with volute-mounted neon tubes in the hallway. Louis is proud of the zebra skin under his Plexi-glass coffee table in his living room. His father, a passionate hunter, shot it for him on his 18th birthday, in his homeland of South Africa.

Louis has always had a penchant for the unusual. He does not drive a car. Every day he runs more than ten kilometers through the English Gardens to keep fit, listening with headphones to hot Funk music on the radio.